ALAMOSA — If there was a way to pre-write the end of a prep football career, Frederick’s Austin King and Michael Broz may well have dreamed up a script like this.

Photos by Steve Smith

He made the reception, but Frederick’s Michael Broz isn’t in a great spot afterward. Overland’s Tre Thomas stopped the Frederick senior for a gain of 14 yards on this play at the Colorado All-State Game in Alamosa.

The two were selected to play in the Colorado High School Coaches Association all-state football game June 13 at Adams State University. King finished with four total tackles, a pass deflection and a fumble recovery. Broz caught a pair of passes for 29 yards.

On top of that, their North squad won 18-12 in double overtime over the South squad.

“I didn’t get a lot of rest,” King said. “I had to fight through it. It was all the adrenaline that let me fight through it.”

But when it was time to get beyond the defensive struggle the game produced (three of the touchdowns came in the overtime sessions), Broz called the experience “a blast.”

“We got down here Tuesday. We did two-a-days every day, full pads,” he said. “We had morning practices, afternoon practices. We worked hard. It was good playing receiver. We saw their team one time in full pads.”

“It was a lot of conditioning,” King said. “I’m out of shape. It’s summer. There were plenty of us who were out of shape.”

Broz said the assembly of good athletes made it easier for his team’s coaching staff (the boss was Jeff Giger of Strasburg High School) to put together a good team.

“Everybody was a leader on their team, and all of the kids were really coachable,” Broz said. “With everyone limited to one or two positions, it was easy to put it together. We kept it basic.”

Broz took advantage of some of his free time to visit with Adams State University about the prospect of playing baseball and football next year. Broz hasn’t decided where he wants to go to school.

“It gives me a lot of looks from a lot of coaches who are here,” Broz said. “It gets your name out there. Even if it’s not football, they see the athleticism. It will help next year.”

“It was a great experience,” King said. “I got to meet everybody. It was really fun. It was hard to put together the team. I don’t know if it helps me for next year. But it boosts my confidence, that’s for sure.”

King signed to play with Western State Colorado University in Gunnison next year.

The North team tied the score with less than a minute to play in the fourth quarter. But the South team blocked two potential game-winning extra points. The first didn’t count because of a penalty.

Both teams scored in the first overtime and missed the extra point. The South squad couldn’t convert its chance in the second overtime, and the North won the game on a fourth-down pass.

“It feels great to win,” Broz said. “It was twice as much fun as it looked. It feels great.”